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New WSB feature: More from the police-report files

EDITOR’S NOTE: Tonight marks the debut of a new WSB feature – and a new contributor. Megan Sheppard won’t be new to you, though, if you read the Police Blotter column she wrote for the West Seattle Herald for a decade. Recently, after hearing she had decided to leave that role, we told Megan – semi-jokingly – that if she ever decided she missed going through the police reports, looking for the stories that had gone (mostly) unreported, we’d welcome her help … and she took us up on it. Megan has deep West Seattle roots, as the daughter of longtime prominent community advocate and entrepreneur Virgil Sheppard (featured last summer in our story about the West Seattle Grand Parade‘s Orville Rummel Trophy), and we look forward to having her contribute more than “just” these roundups. But for starters – here’s the first installment.)

By Megan Sheppard
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

From reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers:

*In the Youngstown area, a man walked into his kitchen and found that a crossbow bolt (the pointy, “business end” of the projectile) had been shot into his home and was stuck in the window blinds.

*Someone threw two large logs onto the roof and hood of a vintage car in the Admiral area last week.

Eight more reports ahead:

*Around 7:30 pm on October 1st, an 18-year-old woman was grabbed in the buttocks and crotch by a man who ran by her in Morgan Junction. The suspect is a white man, 30-49. He wore a faded blue skull cap, a dark blue sweatshirt and dark blue sweatpants. He was last seen running eastbound on SW Monroe from California SW.

*Working together on a tip from a fan of America’s Most Wanted, officers from the Seattle Police Department and the Washington State Patrol arrested a NY man wanted on a felony probation violation as he rode a ferry to the Fauntleroy terminal. After landing on the West Seattle side, he was booked into King County Jail.

*After running the license plate of a car parked in front of a known drug house in Delridge, an officer discovered it was registered to a Bremerton man wanted on a fugitive assault warrant by U.S. Marshals. The officer waited for backup and was able to arrest the 34-year-old without incident.

*After finishing a round of golf at the West Seattle course, a patron went out to his car to go home. One problem: The car was nowhere in sight. The man suspects that someone stole his keys, wallet, and watch from the pocket of his golf bag while he was in the restroom.

*Proving my theory that folks with something to hide invariably manage to call attention to themselves, a 19-year-old pulled a U-turn and failed to signal a lane change in front of an officer in the Westwood area. Pulled over for the violations, he was found to be 1) driving with a suspended license 2) wearing a Department of Corrections ankle bracelet and 3) transporting nearly 600 grams of marijuana and 24.3 grams of crack cocaine, all packaged for individual sale.

*Around noon on Tuesday the 27th, officers were dispatched to the Admiral Way Bridge that crosses Fairmount Canyon. A 26-year-old, frustrated by the pressures in his life, was threatening to “take a Superman” off the bridge. He also admitted he’d thought about going on a suicidal rampage with a gun. He was transported to Harborview for an evaluation.

*A case in the Family Feud arena: Brother 1 hits Brother 2 in the head with a bike rim. An angry Brother 3 slugs Brother 1 for injuring Brother 2. As officers arrive, they see Dad punching Brother 1 in the head. They advise Dad to calm down, stay out of the house, and stay away from his son. Instead, Dad advances on officers (who are forced to use a taser to get him under control and under arrest). Brother 3 tries to tackle the officers arresting Dad and ends up getting pepper sprayed and handcuffed. (He was later released.) Brother 1 and Dad both get booked into King County Jail. The whereabouts and condition of the original assault victim, Brother 2, are unknown.

*In Morgan Junction, a roommate dispute (which, according to the police report, involved “mental undertones”) occurred when Combatant 2 told Combatant 1 that she planned to sleep with 1’s estranged husband. Pushing, shoving, and water throwing ensued. But the disturbance was quelled when the aforementioned estranged husband of #1 arrived on the scene and took #2 away, generously offering to provide her with “spiritual healing.”

==============Till this feature gets a name (and therefore an archive category) of its own, we’ll link it on the WSB Crime Watch page, so you can catch it there if you miss it in the main news stream.

Love the article megan! Just a heads up, beware of two teenage kids riding bmx bikes around the holy family school area Monday.They were caught on serveillance cameras pounding on my front door at 1;24 pm. They heard the dog bark and they left. Both appear to be between ages 15-16. One black and one hispanic.both wearing baggy clothes and backpacks. Last seen on 21st &roxbury

Regarding the 7:30pm 10/1 report – the description sounds suspiciously like the homophobic tagger Ryan Cox. Granted he isn’t the only person who dresses like this above description – but this seems to be what he’s always wearing. If it is him, he’s escalated from tagging to groping. Last WSB reported, he was at Western for another mental evaluation I believe – TR, any way to know if he’s out now?

Not unless he is arrested again. The results of the evaluation and whether he did or did not get admitted for treatment at Western State Hospital are so confidential – considered medical records – that not even the deputy prosecutor would know. I just checked the jail and court records and he has not been in either system since then, but that doesn’t mean he’s not on the street. (Or in Western State Hospital for that matter) … TR

I generally like to read the police blotter recaps, and like the tone they are written in. but, in light of the violence that wrecked a West Seattle family, including a suicide, I am not sure how I feel about including a recap about an incident in which someone was considering suicide (with a jocular inclusion of the ‘take a superman’ reference).

MG, I can speak to that as WSB editor. We’re starting with Monday nights since Monday is when reports from the weekend are available (as well as the week before), but since we’re a 24/7/365 news enterprise, without particular deadlines or other constraints, that could change – for now I’d feel fairly secure in saying, look for the next one next Monday night. And as I mentioned in the editor’s note intro, we do hope that Megan will be writing other stories for WSB on occasion, even outside the crime realm – there are so many stories going untold, it’s only a matter of having good people (and the time) to write them – online, the publication space, at least, is limitless! – TR

(Sound Transit file photo, Capitol Hill) By Tracy Record West Seattle Blog editor The in-person open houses are over. The online open house continues. You have less than two weeks to get your opinion(s) into the wide-open